Car Sight

The design language of the Honda Accord sedan and Honda Accord Coupe did not surprise us that much as we’ve already seen a close-to-production concept version sometime back in January this year.
The Honda Accord Coupe Concept was exhibited at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show and now the final production 2008 Accord Coupe is a close production representation of that concept. You can already expect aftermarket parts that mimic the clear smoked tail lamps on the concept coupe to be used on the production coupe.
The 2008 Honda Accord Coupe, like the sedan has been completely redesigned for the 2008 model year. The Accord Coupe is available in either a 190 horsepower 2.4 liter inline-4 i-VTEC DOHC form or a 268 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 i-VTEC SOHC form.
The V6 engine in the coupe differs from the one in the sedan as it’s valvetrain does not have the Variable Cylinder Management feature, thus reducing valvetrain inertia thanks to the reduced weight. This means the non-VCM V6 engine has a better torque curve at low to medium engine speeds compared to the VCM-equipped V6 engine. The Accord Coupe V6 can also be specified with a 6-speed manual transmission while the V6 sedan is only available in automatic.

Now that we have a new USDM market Honda Accord sedan and coupe, what remains to be updated is the European market Honda Accord which has generally been different from the USDM market Accord, but is sold in the US as the Acura TSX. Honda has previously displayed another sedan called the Honda Sports 4 Concept. That might give us an idea how the next generation Euro Accord will look like.

2008 Honda Accord coupe showed, dressed only in light camouflage. This prototype Accord coupe isn’t far from the production models that will arrive later this year.
It’s easy to see that these prototypes have roughly the same overall size and shape as the Accord concept coupe shown at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. Up front, the airdam has a particularly aggressive shape for a Honda. It has a more squared-off shape than before and flares out slightly at each corner. The center intake remains substantial, although much the same size as before, and there are decent-size openings for a pair of useful foglights.

Compared to the current model, the new Accord coupe’s most distinctive design cue up front is its trapezoidal grille. Acura has been using this look recently, so maybe it’s not surprising to see it migrate over to the Honda side.
These test prototypes also reveal a new character line that runs from the front wheel arch all the way to the taillights. It breaks up the slab-sided look of the current coupe without being too obvious at first glance. The rear-end styling isn’t drastically different from the current car, apart from the less triangular taillights and more steeply angled tail section.
In traditional Honda fashion, the engines for the Accord coupe will produce more power while emitting less pollutants and using less gas. An enhanced version of Honda’s VTEC valve-timing system aided by cylinder activation is expected to give V6 models as much as 270 horsepower, while four-cylinder models will get only minor changes. No word yet about whether Honda plans to continue with a manual transmission for this car.
With sales expected to start this fall, official specifications and photos should arrive by the end of the συμμερ